Floor-covering cushion



Feb. 1954 HQRW|CH FLOOR-COVERING CUSHION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 6,1952 0&2 %ENTOR.% 6 02M Z2 M Feb. 16, 1954 'r. HORWICH FLOOR-COVERINGCUSHION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 6, 1952 w r e z 3 n 3 Q Q o o 3 W Ill ll, I, 6 Q o III/Ill!!! INVENTOR.

Patented F eb. 16, 1954 UNITED STATES 11 TENT OFFICE FLOOR-COVERINGCUSHION Theodore Horwich, Chica eral Felt Products (30.,

tion of Illinois go, 111., assignor to Gen- Chicago, 11]., a corpora- 2Claims. 1

This invention relates to floor-covering cushions and more particularlyto embossed and nonstretchable carpet underlays having a resilient base,such as felt, and having one or both surfaces coated with a resilientsealing layer or compound and provided with an embossed pattern orsurface configuration. This invention also relates to a method of makingthe foregoing cushion.

Heretofore the standard pattern or configuration applied to theresilient coating or layer of the rug underlay comprised a plurality ofindentations and unindented portions wherein the indentations covered asubstantially larger surface area of the pattern than the unindentedportions. Thus the unindented portions or the raised areas of thepattern, which portions or areas were the only ones stepped on whenwalking over the surface of the underlay, were small in total area incomparison with the total area of the entire pattern. Since theindentations of the pattern became press-hardened, and therefore lessresilient, in the process of manufacture, the portions of the patternhaving the greater resiliency were necessarily confined to theunindented portions thereof whose surface area was small in comparisonto the area of the entire pattern. This resulted in an underlay oflesser over-all resiliency than was usually desired.

It is an object of this invention therefore to provide a floor-coveringcushion and method for making the same wherein the more resilientportions of the embossed pattern are substantially larger in area thanthe lesser resilient portions of the pattern.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a floor-coveringcushion and method for making the same wherein the finished cushion willbe relatively thick over a substantial portion thereof and wherein saidthickness can be obtained from a relatively small quantity of materialwithout sacrificing the desired resilient characteristics of thefinished product.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a floor-coveringcushion and method for making the same wherein it is unnecessary tomaterially harden the product in the process of embossing the surfacepattern.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide afloor-covering cushion which can be economically manufactured and whichwill eliminate to a great degree the problem of waste material orseconds.

Further objects and advantages of this inventil tion will becomeapparent from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and appended claims.

In carrying out this invention in one form, there is provided asurface-covering cushion comprising a resilient base and a resilientlayer adhesively secured to at least one surface of said base, saidlayer comprising portions of rela tively lesser and greater resiliency,the areas of said greater resilient portions being substantially largerthan the areas of said lesser resilient portions.

In accordance with a further embodiment of this invention there isprovided a surface-covering cushion wherein the resilient layer isadhesively secured to both surfaces of the resilient base.

According to a still further embodiment of this invention there isprovided a method of manufacturing a surface-covering cushion whichcomprises adhesively securing a resilient layer to at least one surfaceof a resilient base and applying a pattern to said layer, said patterndefining portions of relatively lesser and greater resiliency, the areasof said greater resilient portions being substantially larger than theareas of said lesser resilient portions.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference will bemade to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a fragmentaryplan view of a surface-covering cushion formed in accordance with oneembodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a modified form of the invention showingthe surface pattern on both surfaces of the cushion; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of apparatus for forming thesurface-covering cushion.

One embodiment of this invention is described in Figs. 1 -3. The cushion30 consists of a base 32 formed of felt which may consist of jute orhair fibers garneted and needled to make a felt product of a desireddensity. As will be hereinafter described, one surface of the bass 32 orboth surfaces, as seen in Fig. l, are coated with a cured sealingcompound 33, so that only the fibers of the base adjacent the coatedsurface thereof are impregnated with the compound 33 and thussubstantially retaining the resilience of the base 32. The compound 33may be rubber latex, either natural or synthetic, or any rubberydispersion. Neoprene, made by the Du Pont Company of Wilmington,Deleware, is one suitable compound.

In the manufacture of the cushion the felt base 32 is first passedthrough a die bath 34, Fig. 5, whence it passes to surplus squeezingrollers 36 and a drying oven 38 containing a plurality of drying rollers40. There the felt base 32 is dried and moved on to a pair of rollers 42where the sealing compound 33 is applied to both surfaces of the base.

Coating of the felt base 32 may be accomplished by any of variouswell-known methods such as spray coating or roll coating, the latterbeing shown in Fig. 5, or by a combination of the two methods.

After the compound 33 has been applied, the felt base 32 is passedbetween curing and embossing compression rollers 44 and 4B. As shown inFig. 5, the embossing rollers are hollow in form and have their outersurfaces provided with a pair of cylindrical dies 48 whereby the surfacepattern shown in Fig. 1 is embossed on both coated surfaces of the base32. The rollers 44 and 46 are provided with internal heating means, notshown, for curing the compound 33 simultaneously with the embossing ofthe cushion. The heating requirement of the rollers 44 and 45 willdepend upon the type of compound and felt base used. Air may be blownthrough the rollers to aid in drying and curing the compound. In anyevent, apparatus should be used to effect complete curing of thecompound on the base.

It should be noted that the apparatus shown in Fig. may be modified, ifit is desired, to apply the coating and embossment to only one surfaceof the felt base as shown in Figures 1-3. This may be accomplished, forexample, by the elimination of one of the rollers 42 and by theelimination of one of the dies 48.

Referring to Figs. 1-4, it will be noted that the central portion of thebase 32 of the cushion is not penetrated by the coatings 33 on thesurface of the cushion. Nevertheless the coatings 33 have sufficientthickness to be self-identifiable as a coherent resilient layer havingintegrally included therein the fibers lying on the surfaces only of thefiber base. The projections of the die or dies 48 project from theperiphery of each roller a distance such that only the coating compound33 on the surface of the base 32 is densified and cured therebystiffening said compound and at the same time leaving the felt basecomparatively unchanged and therefore substantially as resilient asbefore the coating and embossing operation.

It will also be observed, referring to Fig. 1, that the depressed orindented portions 52 of the pattern embossed on the coating 33 aresubstantially smaller in over-all area than the unindented portions 54,and that the embossed pattern is applied to substantially the entiresurface of the cushion. Thus the areas of the indented portions 52,which are necessarily hardened to a certain degree when formed, therebyreducing their resiliency, are substantially small in comparison withthe unindented areas 54 which have a substantially greater degree ofresiliency. As the unindented portions 54 are those which will normallybe tread upon, the desired resilient qualities of the rug cushion areobtained.

While several embodiments are described above it will be understood, ofcourse, that the invention is not to be limited thereto since manymodifications may be made and it is contemplated, therefore, by theappended claims, to cover any such modifications as fall within the truespirit and scope of this invention.

1 claim:

1. A floor-covering cushion comprising a loosely matted felted fiberresilient base having an outer surface thereof impregnated with aresilient material, said material comprising a configuration formed of aplurality of indented portions and a plurality of unindented portions,both said indented and unindented portions lying solely in a surface ofsaid cushion, said indented portions being substantially narrow and saidunindented portions being of substantially larger surface area than saidindented portions, and said resilient material being cured as acontinuous fihn of a resilient rubber composition having sufiicientthickness to be self-identifiable as a coherent rubbery layer havingintegrally included therein the fibers lying on the surface only of saidfiber base whereby said surface will retain its configuration havingenhanced cushioning effect.

2. A floor-covering cushion comprising a loosely matted felted fiberresilient base having an outer surface thereof impregnated with aresilient material, said material comprising a configuration formed of aplurality of indented portions and a plurality of unindented portions,both said indented and unindented portions lying solely in a surface-ofsaid cushion, and said indented portions being interconnected anddistributed over said surface and said unindented portions being ofsubstantially larger surface area than said indented portions, saidresilient material being cured as a continuous film of a resilientrubber composition having sufficient thickness to be self-identifiableas a coherent rubbery layer having integrally included therein thefibers lying on the surface only of said fiber base whereby said surfacewill retain its configuration having enhanced cushioning effect.

THEODORE HORWICH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

1. A FLOOR-COVERING CUSHION COMPRISING A LOOSELY MATTED FELTED FIBERRESILIENT BASE HAVING AN OUTER SURFACE THEREOF IMPREGNATED WITH ARESILLENT MATERIAL, SAID MATERIAL COMPRISING A CONFIGURATION FORMED OF APLURALITY OF INDENTED PORTIONS AND A PLURALITY OF UNINDENTED PORTIONS,BOTH SAID INDENTED AND UNINDENTED PORTIONS LYING SOLELY IN A SURFACE OFSAID CUSHION, SAID INDENTED PORTIONS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY NARROW AND SAIDUNINDENTED PORTIONS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER SURFACE AREA THAN SAIDINDENTED PORTIONS, AND SAID RESILIENT MATERIAL BEING CURED AS ACONTINUOUS FILM OF A RESILIENT RUBBER COMPOSITION HAVING SUFFICIENTTHICKNESS TO BE SELF-IDENTIFIABLE AS A COHERENT RUBBERY LAYER HAVINGINTEGRALLY INCLUDED THEREIN THE FIBERS LYING ON THE SURFACE ONLY OF SAIDFIBER BASE WHEREBY SAID SURFACE WILL RETAIN ITS CONFIGURATION HAVINGENHANCED CUSHIONING EFFECT.